Visiting an Old Friend
by sanctum-c
Summary: Cloud makes an exception for an overseas delivery. Follow-up to Off to Save the World. Again.


_Written for nautilusopus on tumblr as with the previous two fics. This one is a follow-up to Off to Save the World Again._

* * *

Strife Delivery Service had a zone of operations encompassing Edge, Kalm, Healin and - for higher fees - Fort Condor and Junon. A few customers asked about overseas deliveries and balked at the rates Cloud quoted. Neither he not Tifa felt such long distance was a practical use of his time thus the high prices were as much a deterrent as a fair estimate. He could do it of course, but the time involved was so great and the resulting cost on the company's regular clientele too high. There were a few exceptions however; he would always take the time to factor in a delivery for an old friend as best he could.

Delivering to North Corel was tough, but better than Gongaga, Cosmo Canyon or anything more distant. If Cloud went without sleep he would be able to cut the travel time down to less than half and diminish the impact on everyone else on his client list. Of course, he could not tell Tifa he was considering doing so. She would insist he got hotel rooms each day to rest and eat something. At home she ensured he stuck to meal-times and bed-times, as much as his enhanced body required less of either. Pointing that out gained no traction with her and after she caught him napping a few times, nothing he said in this regard carried any weight. It was not that he failed to get tired, more than he could push through exhaustion and hunger with few ill-effects.

But if he did get the delivery sorted quicker than planned, what then? He could not go home. There was an opportunity to return to Junon and do some work there for a few days before making his way back to Edge. No. Doing so would mean lying to Tifa - something he vowed to no longer do. Plus there was still the risk someone would mention seeing him there and his whole web of lies would disintegrate. He would find somewhere to crash each night.

Cloud leant on the rail as the ferry chugged across the dull, choppy waters towards Costa del Sol. Odd to see the resort town in gloomier weather. The beaches were near empty and no one was making use of them to sunbathe. Somehow the town had clung to its reputation and popularity as Shinra fell and Mako reactors stopped working. While the Gold Saucer suspended operations and its return was forever sometime soon, the holiday resort still managed a brisk trade even as the world scrambled to right itself. At the height of summer, the weather would still be amazing here and it might be nice to come back at some point. Better than hoping for the Gold Saucer; Barret mentioned the tram station boasted guards to safeguard the facility. The North Corel residents largely ignored them.

Fond memories as Cloud pushed Fenrir through the quiet town. The materia seller was somehow still in business, though not without branching out in the stock on offer. At least Yuffie's brief employment there had not bankrupted the man. Cloud paused at the edge of town. He would come back in Summer. Get Avalanche back together and relive that moment they let eveything go for a short while after fighting Jenova that first time. Plus three of them never had a chance to come here as far as he knew. Friends and loved ones enjoying a relaxing holiday. Cloud chuckled. What would Vincent be like on the beach? Something for later; he needed to get moving.

One of WRO's many new roads followed the coast towards the Corel Desert, while the trail to the Corel Mountains threaded across the grassland. Direct but risky; the old mine tracks were in bad shape according to Barret - now more than ever since Shinra abandoned the Mako reactor there. No one went up to there unless they had to, and there was no guarantee the structure could take the weight of both Cloud and Fenrir. The coast road was the best choice.

Driving was best like this; little other traffic on the road, no one to watch out for or avoid. Far more relaxing than Edge, Junon or any of the roads surrounding either city. Cloud zoned out as the landscape blurred around him and trusted his reflexes to make the minute adjustments to keep him on the road. Grey skies stretched out in every direction overhead; the rain was coming, and there seemed to be no avoiding its inevitabilty. If he hurried he might avoid the worst of it, if not- No, he could cope. The road split again on the other side of the next bridge; forwards would take him around one side of the Corel desert to Gongaga, Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim. The other fork lead to North Corel. Good. While Fenrir was more than capable of travelling cross-country, roads were best for driving.

The broken remains of North Corel were no more; instead the city was rebuilt and still growing. The size of the buildings was a marked change from the tent city that once stood here. Nothing close to the scale of Edge yet, but those building the city seemed determined to catch up. Past the town were the various oil refineries, a whirl of motion and noise; the very constructions that lead to Barret and Aerith leaving Edge behind them. A sea of shipping containers lay on the grassland before the first of the tall residences. Storage? As Cloud got closer, it became clear those same containers had people living in them. Sitting on top of concrete beds, the temporary homes offered brief glimpses of modular life through the open doors. Cramped, but livable. And far superior to the tents of old; hopefully everyone here would gain another residence in time.

Cloud blinked. There she was; Aeris Gainsborough walked towards him, smiling. He slowed Fenrir and dismounted. Odd. There was no pause or hesitation when he saw her, no worry that he might say or do the wrong thing and irrevocably change her opinion of him. A fear in the back of his mind that persisted with Tifa, as much as she insisted he could talk to her about anything, as much as they lived together. As much as he knew and understood that. He needed to stop dwelling on the worry. Somehow. He turned as Aeris hurried over to him and threw her arms around him. Cloud hugged her back. "Nice to see you," she murmured into his shoulder.

"And you. Got a special delivery-" He pulled away and fumbled in Fenrir's storage compartment. "For you." He handed her a book-shaped package.

"Oh- Mom!" Aeris sighed after a glance at the label. "She didn't have to waste the money sending you and this all the way-"

"It's on the house," Cloud interrupted. "I mean, she didn't want that either, but I didn't feel I could charge her and-"

"Thank you," Aeris said and hugged the package to her chest. "How are you fixed for time? Any chance you can spare a few minutes before you go? I haven't seen you in ages and Barret will want to say hi."

"Sure." Cloud nodded. "The town looks good." So many people milling around; the contrast was still a little bewildering to past visits.

"It's getting there." Aeris followed his gaze. "Barret's been talking about getting Gongaga started the same way." A flicker of emotion crossed her face for a moment. "They need help."

"Yeah." Cloud nodded and turned in the direction of the village. "Need to go see them too." Aeris raised an eyebrow. "I... I like to check up on them when I get the chance. I feel like I owe them."

"Yeah." Aeris shuffled her feet. "I think I do too." She shook her head and smiled. "When did you last eat?"

"Around lunch time I think?"

Aeris started towards a cluster of shipping containers. "Come on then; I'll get you some dinner. I might not be up to Tifa's standard, but-" Cloud's stomach gurgled in response and he hurried after her. Aeris lived in a red shipping container not far from where he stopped; the interior was something of a mess. Not in terms of hygine; the kitchen area was clean and the floors were free of debris. But the shelves stood against every wall overflowed with books and papers, while plants crowded low surfaces. Samples of every species she encountered on the way there, Aeris explained after he asked as she bustled around the kitchen. The container was less claustrophobic than expected; more than enough space to move around inside.

The view out the doors kept drawing Cloud's attention as the sky grew darker and darker. The gloom got so bad Aeris turned on the lights before she served the pasta and rain started to fall half-way the meal. People outside panicked and rushed for shelter, holing themselves up inside as the deluge continued. The rain hammered on the roof, but Aeris stopped Cloud as he went to close the heavy metal doors. She wanted to stare out at the rain; Cloud sat back in his chair as the outside blurred. A chirrup from her phone provoked a sigh; Barret was not going to make it tonight. Cloud helped with the washing up and left it as late as possible, but if he wanted to get back to Costa del Sol tonight he needed to leave. He murmured his thanks and wished her well- "Oh no," Aeris said as she caught his arm.

"Aeris?"

"You are going to wind up cold and soaked if you go out there. And the roads will be treacherous. It's dark, it's late, it's raining." She sighed. "Stay here for tonight."

"But-" The shipping container Aeris called home was more appealing than venturing out in the rain and her stern expression made him swallow his protests. "Guess I could crash on the floor."

"Floor?" Aeris shook her head. "The bed is big enough to take two. We can share. You'll sleep better," she added in a softer tone.

"I'll be fine on the floor-"

Aeris shook her head. "You're going to make yourself uncomfortable like that." She cocked her head to the side. "And you look exhausted anyway. You need a good night's sleep."

Cloud grit his teeth. "Thank you for the offer, but I will be fine sleeping on the floor."

"Cloud-"

"I'm with Tifa!" Cloud blurted. "Remember?" He was breathing hard, his voice loud in the container interior.

Aeris blinked at him confused. "And that means you can't share a bed with me?"

"Aeris-"

"I know you're with Tifa." She smiled. "You both seem happy, and I'm not going to try and split you up. She trusts you. I trust you. So please, trust me. Unless you really think that sharing the bed is enough to make you throw everything away?" She stared at him. "Cloud, you're not that kind of person."

Cloud flinched. "I don't want to be that kind of person. It's just I-" Only ever shared a bed with one other person. Well, not quite. Avalanche had to cram together to sleep at times, but Tifa was the only one he had been so completely intimate with. He sighed. "If I say yes, can we at least top and tail?"

Aeris grinned. "Sure. If you like getting kicked in the face." Cloud frowned. "I'm told I am a restless sleeper and tend to move around. A lot." She took his hand. "Trust me. We'll be fine. And if we do somehow wind up in a compromising position while we sleep- Well." She sighed and shrugged. "It won't mean anything. We're friends, remember? We're allowed to cuddle. Consensual contact does not have to have romantic tendencies." She sat back down at the table. "So. Please share my bed in a non-sexual way."

Cloud could not help the grin at her phrasing. He needed to trust her and he needed to trust himself. "Okay."

* * *

Sleeping arrangements were still somewhat fraught. Both of them preferred the same side of the bed; Cloud insisted Aeris take that. They both took turns changing in the bathroom; Aeris into pyjamas and Cloud into one of Barret's shirts Aeris found for him. They had re-found modesty after their days travelling the Planet; back when everyone was too exhausted to stare as they all got changed together in cramped rooms. Aeris was still somewhat nonchalant as she got into bed, bid him good night and curled onto her side facing away from him. Cloud was far less relaxed. His first notion was to sleep on his back and not move. A complete inability to fall sleep soon ruined that plan and he rolled onto his side with a sigh, the rain still drumming on the roof of the container. Back home the sound would be comforting while curled up in bed with Tifa. "Cloud?" Aeris was still awake.

His heart lurched. "Yeah?"

"Can't sleep?" she murmured.

Cloud resisted another sigh. "No."

The mattress dipped and covers rustled as Aeris rolled over to face him. "You need to relax."

"Yeah. Just..." He closed his eyes.

"What if we talked?" Aeris shifted on her pillow.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" Cloud opened his eyes; Aeris was grinning at him.

"How are things with you and Tifa?" She peered at him in the gloom. "Hope you are doing at least this with Tifa and not still in separate rooms. Unless that makes you comfortable and in which case-"

Cloud's cheeks heated up. "We- We are sharing the bed." He gulped and Aeris's grin widened.

"And do you like it?"

Did he? It was better than before. Better than sleeping on his own in the Seventh Heaven. Better than living at the church and away from everyone; that had been lonelier than expected. Still difficult to articulate why he chose that location to hide. Aeris's home was not far from the church- No. Her home was too private for him to invade like that. Too comfortable too; he had needed to stay alert and away from others back then. And he needed to atone for Aeris; until she disabused him of the notion. Getting distracted. "I do. I mean, it's different I guess."

"Different?"

"It feels... safer." Cloud shivered. At home he could reach out to touch Tifa's shoulder or curl around her for comfort if he felt like this. Despite Aeris's words, he was reluctant to do so here. A shame; the contact would help him sleep. "She's always there for me."

"And I don't have to ring you and prod you about how she feels or anything do I?" His cheeks heated up and he shook his head. "Good."

If there was anyone on the Planet he could talk frankly with, it was Aeris. Not only was she part of his family, but she had also been omniscient for a while with access to the sum total of intelligence of the Planet. Hiding anything from her - even now - seemed pointless. Cloud took a deep breath. "I realised she cared for me after I woke up in the church. Just before you came back. And then after-" Another deep breath. "I thought..." His body reacted. At least he was not close enough for Aeris to feel anything. "I thought lovemaking was just something couples did." His cheeks must be on fire and yet Aeris was silent, waiting for him to continue. "I didn't realise, before, that it meant something more... That..." he trailed off.

Aeris nodded. "That you could be so open with another. I know what you mean."

"Yeah." He smiled at her; she understood. "And being with her like that, that's what brought us closer together. Like I think I thought at first we- we just did it because we were sharing a bed? Not in spite of that? But now-" His cheeks somehow got hotter and he struggled to find the words.

Aeris chuckled. "Oh Cloud." She patted his arm. "At least you've moved beyond that. I imagine 'things'-" She put a stress on the word. "-were better after that?"

"Yeah. And now I know I love her." The admission felt so natural now.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear. Just make sure you keep talking to her. And-" She looked serious. "If anything like before happens - it shouldn't, but if it does - you are to stay with her and let me know." Aeris jabbed a finger at him. "If not, I will hunt you down myself and drag you back to her. Okay?"

"Understood." Aeris continued to glare at him. "Loud and clear." Her expression softened and she smiled. "Better?"

His eyelids felt heavier and the bed was warm. "Yeah," he murmured as sleep overwhelmed him. "I think I can sleep now."

* * *

Cloud woke at six in the morning and was immediately wide-awake. A futile few minutes saw him unable to lie still and not fidget. He gave up and left the bed as carefully as he could. Despite his best efforts he was unable to avoid waking Aeris. She groaned and heaved herself into a sitting position with bleary-eyes and messy hair. "Go back to sleep," he said half-way to the bathroom.

"No." She stifled a yawn. "Gotta at least see you off." She threw back the bedclothes and stumbled into the kitchen mumbling something incomprehensible. Kettle on, she sorted coffee as Cloud got ready. A quick wash, a change of clothes and he felt ready to face the day. Coffee and toast awaited him. "For my guest." She looked brighter and sounded more coherent after her own dose of caffeine, her hair tied back into a messy pony-tail.

"Thanks. For everything," Cloud said. "You've been amazingly generous."

"I don't get many old friends visiting." She grinned at him as he bit into the toast. "Next time, you and Tifa should visit."

He nodded to the bed. "Not sure the three of us would fit in there." It was only a double. Fitting the three of them in was possible, but they would be a lot closer. Tifa would have to go in the middle-

Aeris waved a hand. "I'll get a spare or an inflatable bed or something. If you are really going to come back." A reminder of his vague Costa del Sol plan; Aeris agreed to the idea. "But in the summer when it's warmer."

"Of course," Cloud called over his shoulder as he pushed the container door open. Outside the grey skies were gone, replaced by blue. "Much nicer," he said. Aeris draped a blanket around her shoulders and hummed her approval as she stepped beside him. Other nearby containers had their doors stood ajar, the buzz of activity now emanating from the main part of town. "Should be going though-"

Aeris pulled Cloud into a hug. "Great to see you again. Stay in touch, feel free to visit-"

"Hey Cloud!" Barret hurried towards them with a carrier bag. Aeris let go of Cloud and skipped to Barret. Arms around his neck in a second and she pulled his head down for a kiss. "And you too, honey." He kissed her again; Cloud looked away.

"Good timing; I was just on my way home," Cloud said when he was sure the other two were no longer kissing.

No trace of embarassment from either Barret or Aeris. "Glad I caught you then." Barret fumbled in the bag and shifted the contents around; bread, newspaper- He extracted a small, brightly-wrapped box tied with a red ribbon. "How much to get this to Marlene?" He fumbled for his wallet.

Cloud took the box and held up his other hand. "No charge. I'm headed that way anyway, and your partner has been an amazing host." Aeris grinned at him.

"You sure?" Barret asked and Cloud nodded. "Thanks, Cloud." Barret clapped him on the shoulder. "Tell Marlene I'll be coming to visit next month."

"We'll," Aeris corrected nudging him in the ribs. "I want to see her, Tifa and Denzel too."

"Guess you can fill in Barret on the other plan," Cloud said as he powered Fenrir up. The roar of the engine drowned out Barret's response, but he smiled as Aeris said something to him. "See you soon," Cloud called. With a last wave to the pair, he twisted the accelerator and headed for home.


End file.
